A Rhock And A Haunted Place
by Jase Andrews
Summary: When a designer named Crystal gets a mysterious offer to redecorate an old mansion in New Orleans, little does she know that her actual need there is a much greater one...Based on Disneyland's Haunted Mansion
1. Epilogue

This story is based on the infamous Disneyland attraction "The Haunted Mansion." I did not create the character Leota or the last name Gracey, and I'm borrowing the first name of George from Aquarian Wolf, another HM fanfic writer.

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Chapter 1: Epilogue

The woman stormed through the house, angrily. How could he do this to her? He was her one true love, and he betrayed her.

She threw open each room she passed with a mere wave of her arm, the doors banging against the wall.

"Gracey!" She yelled, "I know you're here somewhere! Come out and face me like the man you are!"

The woman continued to search the large house, until she came to the study. This had to be where he was – she'd looked everywhere else. She glared at the door, and it flew open.

"You're in here, George," The woman said icily, "I can feel it. Show yourself."

A man slowly rose up from behind the desk, trembling. He had his hands in the air and a scared look on his face.

"L-Leota," The man named George said, trying to sound brave, "What do you want?"

"You know damn well what I want, George," Leota said, her brow furrowing. Small objects in the room began to rattle and shake.

"Leota, please…Emily and I are in love…and what we had…well…"

"What we had was more than anything you will ever have with that…that skank!" Leota said furiously, her heart breaking. To this, George blushed furiously.

"Leota, please…I'd rather you didn't-"

"So what, you're EMBARRESSED of our child? She exists, you know. I've seen the way you shun her, and act as if she's not there. Do you know how often she comes to me in tears, wondering why her father doesn't love her!"

"That was a mistake, and I regret the day it happened," George said firmly, but there was a hint of wavering in his voice.

"That's how you feel. Well good. Then I don't regret what I've already done!" Leota said, her fists clenched in anger.

"What do you mean?" George asked, now nervous. Leota was a very unpredictable woman.

"Your 'bride' is dead. Locked in the trunk in the attic. And I'm going to make sure that YOU feel the pain that you've caused me…for all eternity!"

Leota snapped her fingers, and in her hands appeared a small red book. She began to read from it; an incantation.

"_Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat. Call in the spirits, wherever they're at!  
Rap on a table, it's time to respond. Send us a message from somewhere beyond!_"

The lights in the room flickered, and a low moan suddenly sounded from nowhere. George felt himself being lifted up into the air, strange lights surrounding him. He reached for Leota's book and to both of their surprise, was able to grab it.

"If I'm going down, you're coming with me!" George yelled. Suddenly he was thrown from the study, flew through the house, and found himself hovering in the small gallery that he had made to honor his relatives. He looked at all of the small paintings, and noticed that something peculiar was happening. Was the room getting longer? Or was he just moving up higher towards the ceiling?

Whatever it was, it was effecting the portraits. They changed from pristine to grotesque – showing his family members about to die. George suddenly remembered what he was trying to do, before it was too late. He flipped frantically through Leota's book, looking for something, _anything, _that could stop her. He finally found one that looked as if it could do the trick, and read it.

"_Spirits of good, answer this call, trap the dark presence in a crystal ball!"_

As he finished the spell a noose appeared around his neck and he knew he was done for. And as the magic holding him let go and the only thing left to hold him was a thick rope, he heard a loud scream echo through the house.

Leota was imprisoned.

So was George. And everyone else in the house.

The book fell from George's grasp, and fell to the gallery floor with a small thump. It laid open to a blank page, but as a clock chimed midnight somewhere, it started to shake and new words appeared in it:

_The cursed mansion, now doomed ever more_

_Can only be freed by the girl from lore_

_A jewel in the rocks, a girl unknown_

_This mortal can save us; only her alone._


	2. The Mysterious Offer

Chapter 2: The Mysterious Offer

Crystal was a twenty-two year old interior designer. Her job was good, and she had a nice income, but she often felt like there was more she could be doing with her life. Crystal lived in a small house in New Orleans in Louisiana. She loved the city – its décor and architecture were what inspired her to become a decorator in the first place.

But lately things weren't going that great for Crystal. She'd been losing clients, and her business was slowly deteriorating. What she needed was something to get her name out there again – a designing job for a celebrity or a really expensive house. Crystal had starting putting her name in the paper, which seemed like a low point for her, but it was still a good way to get work.

One day, a few weeks after placing the ad, Crystal got a letter in the mail. It was in an old yellow envelope with no return address, and her name and address were written on it in calligraphy. She carefully opened the letter, not wanting to damage the work, and read the letter.

_Dear Ms. Rhock, _

_We recently saw your add in the newspaper, and are wondering if you would consider redecorating our lovely estate for us. It is a large mansion, many years old, and we have decided that it needs to be livened up. Money is no object, and are quite interested in your work. If you are interested, please stop at the house tomorrow evening at six o'clock._

"A mansion?" Crystal said, copying down the address information, "That could certainly get me into the big leagues." She finished reading.

_We look forward to meeting you; but we do ask that you take caution in deciding whether or not to come. There have been…disturbances…around our area that we are not proud of, but with your help, they should quickly be removed._

_Dying to meet you,_

_  
Master Gracey_

Crystal re-read the letter, and decided that she would go. Whatever these 'disturbances' were, she could handle them. They were probably just rodents or something.

The next day, Crystal pulled up to the mansion's gate. It was large, and made of green iron; Crystal could already tell that this house was big on detail. As she got out of her car to enter, the gates slowly opened on their own.

"Great! Automatic gates equal lots of dough," She said to herself cheerily as she walked to the front door.

The mansion itself was an amazing sight. Four two story white columns were at the front, and green arches lined the porch, for decoration and to hold up the second story balcony. An old weathervane on the very tip of the roof creaked slightly as the wind shifted.

The house was white, and looked in fairly good condition; the wood wasn't browning or anything. However, the same could not be said for the rest of the front yard. Crystal knocked on the door, made sure her blouse and skirt looked presentable, and took one last look at the front lawn. There were many dead trees in it, and the ground was barren. She made a mental note to tell the 'Master' of the house to get it fixed.

All of a sudden, she heard a creaking noise, and realized that one of the large white front doors was slowly opening. She peeked her head in, and saw that the inside was fairly dark.

"Hello?" She called, thinking that someone had opened the front door. She walked inside and looked at foyer she was in. It was lit with a few candles hanging on the wall, and there wasn't really much else to look at. The wallpaper was peeling, and the few things that were in this room were covered in dust. Crystal heard another creaking noise behind her, and turned. The door closed shut, on its own.

"Welcome," said a voice. Crystal whirled around. Standing a few feet in front of her was a man who was obviously not there a few seconds ago. He was wearing a black pressed suit, and he had trimmed black hair and sideburns. His bright blue eyes seemed to be piercing right through Crystal.

"Wait-" Crystal said, furling her brow. She spun to look at the door, then back at the man. "How did you-"

"I've come to discover that this house holds many secrets, Ms. Rhock. Some of them, passageways," The man said with a small smile on his face. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gracey. George Gracey."


	3. Tours Are Five Bucks A Person

Chapter 3: Tours Are $5 A Person…

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gracey," Crystal said in her best businesswoman tone, shaking his hand.

"Oh no – the pleasure is all mine," George said with a grin, "My wife and I have been wanting someone to brighten up the mansion for quite some time now, and she'll will be as pleased as I am that you have come to offer your services." Crystal smiled.

"So you're looking to remodel the place?" Crystal asked. Gracey nodded.

"If you're interested, I can take you on the grand tour. You can see the whole house, and let me know what you think."

"How much will that cost me?" Crystal asked jokingly. She knew that in other old estates like this, the price of viewing was not cheap.

"It's absolutely free," George said, staring at her. He obviously didn't realize that she was making a joke.

"Anyways…In your letter…you said money was no object…" Crystal started to say, double checking.

"Correct. I come from a very rich family, and can pay you whatever you need." Crystal's smile got even bigger.

"Well then…shall we begin?"

George knocked on one of the wooden walls in the foyer, and to Crystal's surprise, the wall moved away, revealing a room.

"Oh! So that's how you appeared in here so quickly!" She said, looking into it. George stared at the open door for a few seconds, his mouth slightly agape.

"Uh…yes! That's precisely how I entered," He said quickly, realizing his pause, and led Crystal into the room.

"Now, I must warn you," He said as he shut the wall, "My family had a rather…macabre sense of humor. They liked to play tricks on the mind."

"Oh, don't worry about it. My dad used to do the 'got yer nose' thing to me all the time."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Uh…forget it," Crystal said, looking up at the paintings. They seemed to be stretching…

Crystal then realized what George was talking about.

One painting of a girl holding a parasol got longer and revealed that she was walking a tightrope, inches away from the jaws of a hungry alligator. Another changed from a man in a suit jacket and dress shirt to show that he was wearing no pants, and standing on a lit keg of dynamite. The third painting was of a sweet looking old woman, but as it elongated it showed that she was sitting on a grave, holding an axe – and the grave had a bust of a man with an axe through his head on it. The final portrait was of a man, looking quite calm…but he was sitting on the shoulders of another man, who looked a little nervous…who in turn was sitting on the shoulders of a very worried man, sinking in quicksand.

"I…see what you mean," Crystal said, taking in the bizarre paintings. All of a sudden, lightning flashed outside and thunder rumbled. The candles in the room flickered, causing the whole place to become darker.

"Oh great! It's starting to rain!" Crystal whined, "And I had just washed my car…"

The lights stopped flickering, and the room stopped stretching. George rapped on another part of the wall and it slid away; they were at another part of the house. Apparently the room was an elevator of sorts.

"After you," George said politely. Crystal walked slowly in this next room. On the wall were beautiful paintings – an Egyptian queen resting on a loveseat…A majestic ship, battling waves…a Greek woman with red hair, and a beautiful young girl with black hair, resting her arm on a desk. As Crystal walked past these, she took in their beauty. But when George walked past them…

The Egyptian queen morphed into a panther creature, the ship suddenly turned skeletal, a ghost ship on black waters, the Greek woman turned into a scathing medusa, and the young black haired woman became an old white haired hag.

Crystal passed two busts, and as she walked by them, they slowly turned to look at her…but George saw this. He frantically pointed at both of them, and then made the motion of running his finger past his throat. They quickly resumed their normal position, and George sighed with relief.

"The detail in this place is amazing," Crystal said, looking at the staircase that seemed to be the only way to go.

"Yes…we do take pride in it…but now that you're here, there's something I need to tell you," George said. Crystal started to walk up the stairs.

"This mansion is haunted," George said, following her.

"What?"

"Haunted."

"You mean, like with ghosts and stuff?"

"Yes, like with ghosts and stuff," George said, rolling his eyes.

"And are you one?" Crystal asked, smirking at George, thinking he was playing a joke.

"Well…actually…" George stammered. He wasn't sure what to say.

Crystal laughed, and continued onwards. She finished climbing the stairs, and was in a hallway. Crystal was thinking about how nutso this Gracey guy was, but then she saw something that made her change her mind.

"Um…she asked George, "What's that?" She slowly pointed her finger. And what she was pointing at was a candelabrum, floating away down a seemingly endless hallway.


	4. This Mansion Is HAUNTED!

Chapter 4: This Mansion…Is HAUNTED!

"Oh, that?" George said, looking down the hallway, "Those are our guest rooms. As you can see, many people reside here in the mansion."

"Not those…" Crystal said in an annoyed tone, "THAT!" She jabbed her finger at the candle, which was slowly making a turn and heading back towards them.

"Ah! THAT," He said, "Is Prudence." He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled "PRUDENCE!"

The candle stopped for a minute, seemed to sag, and headed slowly towards them. Crystal, not sure what was going on, gripped George's arm tightly.

"Prudence, I'd like you to meet Crystal. She's the girl I called to help us out,"

"Lovely," Came a drawl and bored voice from near the candle, "Another room to worry about."

"Uh…I-I don't plan on staying that long," Crystal said nervously.

"Whatever floats your boat. And now if you'll be needing me, I'll just be spending the rest of my afterlife, serving whiny tenants that are never completely satisfied…of course they aren't…they're ghosts…"

The candle floated away, Crystal staring at it in shock.

"NOW do you believe me?" George asked with a smile on his face.

"So…run this by me one more time?" Crystal said, rubbing her temple. She was sitting in a red chair near the hallway, and George was explaining what had happened to the mansion.

"This house is possessed by ghosts of all sorts. Actually, we have nine-hundred and ninety nine happy haunts here," George said.

"I mean the part about this curse and whatever," Crystal said wearily.

"Okay: George Gracey (Me) was going to marry a woman named Emily Cavanaugh – however, this fortune teller that I had had…erm...a past relationship with, became jealous. Her name's Madame Leota. She killed Emily, and threatened to kill me if I didn't accept her as my love and her daughter as my family. I refused, so she killed and cursed me and everyone else in this house. But before she did me in, I cursed her back, so now she's trapped here too, in a crystal ball. And when we all died, this 'prophecy' appeared in Madame Leota's spell book that "_A jewel in the rocks, a girl unknown; this mortal can save us; only her alone"._ And I'm very certain that this girl is you."

"Ohhhhkay. And why do you think this girl is me?"

"Your name is Crystal Rhock. _A jewel in the rocks_."

Crystal sighed. "I guess that makes sense. So…what do I have to do?"

"First, we have to find that book. It's lost somewhere in the house."

"Great. Let's look for this book then." Crystal got up and walked farther on, to a conservatory. She leaned against a large table, surrounded by flowers.

"Uh…I wouldn't lean on that if I were you," George said. And Crystal turned her head back to look at it. All of a sudden, the end of it started to tilt up!

"Hey!" Cried a muffled voice, "George, is that you?" Called a voice from inside.

"Ohmygawd!" Crystal squealed, jumping back. There was a skeletal hand trying to pry open the coffin!

"Hey! I'd like to introduce you to Crystal," He said. The skeletal hand let go of the coffin and waved, then continued to try and pry it open.

"I'd shake your hand, but…as you can see, in my current predicament…"

"Um…how'd this happen?" Crystal babbled, still freaked out by the coffin.

"Oh…it was that Leota…I dated her for a while but I broke up with her, so she got one of her friends to bite my neck. She convinced me I was a vampire, and had me stay in this coffin during the day. But while I was asleep, she nailed it shut, and then I tried to open it up. But by the time I did, the sun was out, and so I closed it again. Rinse and repeat. Leota trapped me here until I died, and then the house became cursed. So now I'm stuck here."

"Oh god. That's horrible!"

"Yeah, but I try to make the best of the situation. I get to stay in bed all the time, and I don't have to worry about what my hair looks like each day!"

"He's always been an optimist," George whispered to Crystal. He then turned back to the man in the coffin.

"Well, it was nice chatting, but we really must move on…see you later!" George said happily. He started to wave, but realized that it was a wasted effort, and put his hand down lamely.

"So long," Crystal quipped, and they continued the tour.

They passed more guest rooms, hearing screeches and clawing noises coming from the other sides of the doors. The wallpaper along this part of the house was a repeating pattern of demonic faces, which seemed to watch the ghost and the girl as they walked by.

"This next room is Leota's…I haven't been in here in ages…but I guess I should face my fear." George mumbled.

"Maybe she knows where the book is," Crystal suggested. She opened the door and they heard Leota chanting some incantations. She stopped as they walked into the room.

"Who dares intrude on my eternal suffering?" She asked in a sharp voice. Crystal slowly walked around a large chair and saw that indeed, Leota was trapped in a crystal ball.

"Hey! Leota!" George said, walking up to her, "How're things!"

"George," Leota said icily, "Long time no see."


	5. The Leading Ladies

Chapter 5: The Leading Ladies

"Sorry I haven't visited, but I was afraid that wouldn't be a good idea…You know, first we had a relationship, then I broke it off, then you killed me, then I imprisoned you…"

"George," Crystal said politely, trying to get him to stop babbling and so he didn't infuriate Leota.

"And who is _this_?" Leota asked, staring up at Crystal.

"Hi…Crystal Rhock – nice to meet you." She almost held out her hand as if Leota was going to shake it, but restrained herself just in time.

"Leota…the reason we dropped by was because we're looking for that book of yours. I think Crystal's the one that can save us."

"Save us? I don't know what you're talking about," Leota said dismissively, "I've been trapped in this room, all by my lonesome, without anyone to tell me anything for…how long has it been? Oh, about ONE HUNDRED YEARS!"

"Oh, come off it. You can see everything. You know exactly what I'm talking about," George said, missing Leota's not so subtle messaging. Leota sighed and closed her eyes.

"She is the one. But my powers are too weak to tell you where the book is. And don't start trying to make excuses!" She added, because George had opened his mouth to talk, "There is too much stuff in this house. That skank of yours always was a packrat."

"Let's not bring her into this," George said firmly. Leota rolled her eyes.

"Well anyways, this 'Crystal' is the one who can recite the spell; but the book is unlocatable."

"Thanks Leota…maybe I'll drop in some time again…" George said awkwardly as he shoved Crystal out another door.

"Watch out for that bride," Leota called to Crystal as they left, "She can be a pain in the-"

George slammed the door shut.

"Oh!" He said, trying to distract Crystal from their meeting with Leota, "The ballroom's just over here!" He led Crystal through more of the house, and they found themselves on a balcony overlooking a grand ballroom.

There were hundreds of ghosts in the room, partying and having a good time – some were waltzing to a funeral march being played by a ghostly organist, others were eating invisible food, and at the end of a long table, a young girl was blowing out ghostly candles on a rotting birthday cake.

"Who's that?" Crystal asked, pointing at the birthday girl.

"Oh, that's Victoria – she was cursed by Madame Leota before everyone else was…one time, Leota was holding a séance and Victoria was partying in this room. Leota thought that Victoria was being too noisy, so she cursed her and said something along the lines of 'Thirteen years from tonight, you will die!' And thirteen years later?" George made a pop sound with his lips. "Dead."

"Wow. Looks like Leota didn't have a very good rep around here."

"Yeah…but my eccentric aunt hired Leota so she could always know her fortune. She's down there, knitting." George said, pointing at the ballroom floor. A rocking chair with a ghostly woman knitting slowly rocked back and forth near the wall.

"But after she passed away, Leota stuck around. She made an impression on this mansion, and didn't go away."

"Ah," Said Crystal, taking this explanation in.

"You know…I think it'd be good for us to split up. And besides, the other ghosts are expecting me to show at this party. You continue on."

Crystal nodded, and George became ghostly and translucent and floated down to the crowd. Crystal kept moving, past the ballroom, and soon came to a staircase. She heard a 'thump-thump' sound coming from the doorway at the top of it.

This appeared to be the attic.

Crystal slowly climbed the old stairs, not sure of what to expect. Didn't George say that his wife was killed up here? Crystal slowly gripped the door knob and turned it slowly, causing it to squeak and the people reading this to lean forward in their seats, waiting for something to happen. She opened the door, and as she did, a flash of lightning illuminated the room. Leota was right – this place was like a junkyard.

"Hello?" Crystal called apprehensively. She continued to hear the strange 'thump-thump' noise, and walked towards it. Everything was incredibly silent…

"I DO!"

A strange ghoul creature without a body suddenly jumped out of a box and right in front of Crystal's face! She screamed with surprise, and it fell back into the box it was hiding in.

"Oh, shut the bloody hell up," moaned a voice from where the thumping was coming from, "As if I need any reminding." The voice was sweet sounding, but had a dark tone to it. It reminded Crystal of poisoned honey for some reason. She walked past more boxes and saw a girl.

She was wearing a beautiful but old wedding dress, had flowing shock-white hair, and her face was very pale. But the strangest part of this spirit was that there was a continuous red glowing from her chest that appeared and disappeared. Crystal matched it with the _thump-thump_ and realized it was her heart.

The woman was sitting at a small stool in front of a mirror, looking at her reflection. A few feet away from her was a trunk. And out of it was sticking a bit of white cloth that looked strangely like the ghost's dress…

Crystal quickly diverted her eyes from it.

"Uh…hi," Crystal said to the girl. She turned around, looked at Crystal and her eyes became wide.

"Oh! You must be that Crystal girl that I've been hearing about! It's a pleasure to meet you!" The girl said, standing. "Word travels fast around here. Actually, it travels right through the walls!" She added with a giggle.

"Are you…Emily?" Crystal asked.

"The beautiful Emily Cavanaugh, at your service," Emily said, curtsying gracefully, "How may I help you?"

"Well…I'm looking for a book. It's red. And small."

The smile appeared from Emily's face.

"A book. That's all she comes up for. A book." Emily turned around haughtily, and started speaking quickly. "I spend the last hundred years up here with hardly no visitors and these god-awful ghosts mocking me nonstop, and when I finally DO get some companionship they really just want a bloody book? I mean, what the bloody hell is THAT all about! I really should get a little more respect around here, don't you think?" She asked, as another ghoul popped up. It nodded quickly before returning to its hiding place.

"And furthermore, I'm incredibly hurt that George didn't come up to see me himself! He was going to marry me, you know, but NO! He says 'Hey! I think I'll ditch Emily and hang out with this mortal skank instead!'"

"From what I hear, I'm not the only skank in this room…" Crystal muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!" Emily snapped, turning to Crystal, "You've been talking to that…that Leo-tuh! She's the one who killed me, I know it! She was just jealous of my beauty and good looks, and so she decided to trap us all here! But she got what she deserved…oh, George made sure of that…" A sly grin appeared on Emily's face.

"Hey…do you think you could tell me where the book is?" Crystal tried to ask, but Emily continued to rant on.

"It seems like everything I do I have bad luck! First I find out that I'm marrying my COUSIN, then I get locked in a trunk and suffocate, and THEN I have to stay in this house for all eternity, wearing a corset! Do you know how uncomfortable those things are! All of my friends were better off than me – I remember one in particular, that Melanie Ravenswood girl. SHE moved to Paris to get married and live in a beautiful manor, and I'm stuck with this dinky little mansion in a swamp!"

"HEY!" Crystal yelled, sick of the ghost's incessant complaining. Emily snapped out of it.

"What?"

"So do you know where the book is, or not!"

"Oh, I haven't seen it dear," She said in a sweet tone, "Perhaps you should check the graveyard. There's a shortcut." Emily pointed at a small window; the glass was broken and Crystal could probably fit out it.

"Graveyard?"

"Oh yes – you don't expect our bodies to be just locked in trunks somewhere, do you?" Emily said with a wry chuckle.

"Well…thanks for your help…" Crystal said, and she headed towards the window.

"Oh, and if you see George, tell him that I'm changing the pre-nup!" Emily called as Crystal climbed out.

She was standing on the roof, but there was a trellis she could climb down. The rain had ceased, and the full moon shined brilliantly in the clear night sky. She looked over the graveyard, and saw hundreds and hundreds of gravestones.

"I guess he wasn't kidding about the nine hundred and ninety-nine…" She muttered as she began to climb down.


	6. When The Crypt Doors Creak

Chapter 6: When the Crypt Doors Creak…

Crystal's feet touched ground, and she let go of the trellis. There seemed to be a path through the graveyard that wound all away through it and back to the house. She figured that it'd just be best to follow it, and ask any ghosts she met along the way. Crystal passed under an iron gate and into the beginning of the graveyard. She passed many ghosts – some were having a tea party, others were shooting apples off each others heads, and some were bicycling through the sky. Crystal asked each group of ghosts that she passed by, but none of them had seen the book. She was just about to give up when she heard some singing off in the distance. Walking a bit farther, she was surprised to see some marble busts – they were all men, lined up next to each other. And they were all singing.

They seemed to be finishing their song, but Crystal heard the last part of it. Something about 'Grim, Grinning Ghosts' or whatever. As she approached them, they finished with a very long drawn out chord, each holding a different note. They bowed their heads, and then stared at Crystal.

After a few seconds, one of them said, "Well?"

Crystal stared at it. "Well what?"

"Aren't you going to applaud?"

"Oh! Sorry!" Crystal said, and clapped furiously. The busts smiled.

"We just love an audience – it's nice to see one so lively!" Another bust said, "Would you like to hear anything else?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you had seen a red book around here."

"No, I'm afraid not. We don't usually get around the mansion much, and we would certainly know if it was around here."

"Well…okay…thanks for your help," Crystal said, and started to leave. The busts began to sing another song, all harmonizing perfectly.

Crystal continued through the graveyard, and eventually came across a hearse. It seemed to be stuck in some mud, and it looked like it'd been there for centuries.

"Is anyone here?" She called, still searching for the book, as well as people that might know where it is. All of a sudden, she heard a horse neigh. It seemed to be coming from the hearse, but there was nothing there.

"Hello?" Crystal called again, and there was another neigh. She walked around to the front and side of the hearse. Crystal reached her hand out slowly, and was amazed to feel an invisible animal in front of it. It was a horse.

"Woah…" Crystal said, patting the invisible flank.

"Hey, he likes you!" A voice said from above crystal. She turned her head to look at the driver's seat and saw that there was a ghost sitting in it. He was wearing a driver's uniform, rectangle spectacles and a top hat, and was smiling at Crystal.

"Nice to meet you," He said, jumping down to ground level, and offered his hand out, "I'm Dustin. Dustin T. Dust."

"It's nice to meet you Dustin," Crystal said with a grin, shaking his hand, "I know it's rude to just go around asking like this," she added automatically, having said this many times before to many other ghosts, "But have you seen a small red spell book around here?"

Dustin thought for a moment, tugging at his bowtie absentmindedly. After a few seconds, he said "No, I don't have it…but I know who might."

A few minutes later Crystal was getting a ride through the rest of the graveyard. It was uncomfortable lying on the velvet padding that was meant for a coffin, but it was better than walking. And Dustin was a good conversationalist.

"So, George brought you here to break the curse, eh?" He asked cheerily.

"Yep. It's been an interesting day."

"Well it's nice to see some new blood around here – Rolly and I have been so bored, just hanging out with the same old crowd."

"Rolly?"

"Oh! I forgot to introduce you – Rolly's my horse. He's a bit jumpy though…prefers to stay invisible."

"Well…I'm sure he…looked…very nice," Crystal said pathetically, realizing halfway through the compliment that it was useless.

"Yes…Rolly was a great horse, back in the day. Of course, once all of the deaths started, he became overworked and ragged…eventually did himself in."

"That's a shame," Crystal said. The conversation seemed to hit a dead end there.

A few minutes passed, and Dustin said "We're here." Crystal looked at her surroundings and saw that she was near the entrance of a large crypt.

"What's down there?" She asked apprehensively.

"The guys who probably know where this book is. Don't be afraid...they shouldn't give you too much trouble."

"Are you sure you can't come with me?" Crystal asked, hopping out of the hearse. Dustin nodded.

"I've had some bad happenings with those three…kept hopping on my hearse and scaring the living daylights out of me," Dustin said, realizing that was an oxymoron.

Crystal waved goodbye to Dustin and he and Rolly headed back to their spot in the graveyard. She took a step towards the crypt, and all of a sudden torches lit up on either side of it, illuminating the entryway. It was quite old – spider webs covered the sides of the opening, and Crystal was pretty sure that the things around her feet were skulls and bones. The torches were being held by large statues that reminded her of the Grim Reaper – and in their other hands, they held plaques that said "_Non Omnis Moriar_." She figured this was Latin, but had no idea what it meant. Crystal gathered her courage and began her descent.

"Nothing to worry about," Crystal reminded herself as she walked down the stone steps into darkness, "Nothing at all."

* * *

Note: The "Dustin T. Dust" and "Rolly"charactersare based characters created by Aquarian Wolf, used with permission. For more stories that have Dustin in a larger part, see Aquarian Wolf's Haunted Mansion stories. 


	7. Somebody's Watching Me

Chapter 7: Somebody's Watching Me

As Crystal began to walk down the stairs, torches on the walls suddenly revealed themselves by bursting up with flame. They surprised her at first, but then grew used to them – a lot of things at this house seemed to take the "jump and boo" tactic.

When the stairs finally stopped, Crystal found herself facing a long hallway. It seemed like any other catacomb, with stone walls and floors, spider webs and dust, but there was something different here. Mirrors.

There were oval shaped gilded mirrors on the left side of the wall. Crystal walked in front of one and looked at her reflection. The mirror was sparkling clean – no dust had gathered here.

"That's odd…" She muttered to herself. There seemed to be no one here. But as she turned to go on, a ghostly reflection appeared in the mirror…

The ghoul had a skeletal face, and was wearing a derby and was wearing a long tuxedo coat that went down to his knees. He watched Crystal as she passed, grinning slyly.

Meanwhile, Crystal passed another mirror. As soon as she did, another ghost appeared. This one, unlike its predecessor, was short and plump, with a long top hat and cape. In one hand he held a carpetbag, and he also stared at the oblivious mortal as she continued exploring.

As Crystal passed the last mirror, a final ghost revealed itself. It was a midget, with a big nose and a long beard that had grown down to its feet. There was a giant ball attached to one of his legs, and one could tell that he had recently been in prison from it.

These three spectral spectators watched Crystal as she rounded a corner. As soon as she was gone, they jumped out of the mirrors they were in and began to speak.

"Who does she think she is, coming down here! This is our house, by gum, and I'll be darned if it's taken over by the likes of her!" The tall one said.

"Oh Ezra, calm down," The fat one said, "I'm sure she's just taking a look around. And besides…if she gets too nosy, we can always scare her away."

"Oh, all right Phineas," Ezra said, "What do you think, Gus?" The tall ghost directed the question at the shortest.

"She's pretty," Gus quipped. He wasn't much for words.

Meanwhile, Crystal realized that she was now hearing voices where she had just been. She turned back around, and silently crept around the corner to see who it was.

Three bluish-green ghosts were chatting in front of the mirrors. Were these the people Dustin had been talking about?

"Excuse me," She said softly. The three suddenly stopped talking and stared at her. After a few seconds, the one with the top hat slowly said "Yes?"

"I was, um…just looking for this spell book…I kinda need it. Do any of you have it?"

The ghosts stared at her. All of a sudden, Ezra smiled.

"Phineas! This must be that prophecy girl! The one everyone's been talking about!" He said excitedly. Phineas stared at her for a moment.

"Yes, I think you're right!" Phineas agreed, and the short one nodded. He walked over to Crystal and offered his hand up to her. She knelt down and shook it.

"Hi," he said, "I'm Gus."

"Hi," Crystal replied, surprised at the short little ghost's ball and chain.

"I'm Ezra," The skeletal one said, "And the fat one here is Phineas."

"Hey!" Phineas said, turning and glaring at Ezra, "I am NOT fat…I'm just…big boned!"

"Yeah right!" Ezra scoffed, "I saw you stuffing yourself on that night of the ball."

"Gus saw it too!" Gus added, "You were particularly fond of that giant cake." To this Phineas sighed.

"Oh, that cake was such a sight!" He said mournfully, "It is a shame that I didn't get to eat it…"

"Yeah, well no one else did either, so stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Ezra snapped, "And besides, that food wasn't very good, anyways. Tasted like someone had gone swimming in it."

"It was poison, you fool! That treacherous snake did us in! Murder!" Phineas said.

"Murder most foul!" Gus added.

"Remember that time when we traveled down to California?" Ezra said, suddenly changing topics. As if on cue, all of the ghosts got dreamy smiles on their faces.

"Oh yes...we visited Hollywood…that was a lovely hotel we stayed at!" Gus said dreamily.

"What was that place called? The Hollywood Tower Hotel? I wonder if it's still in existence today…" Phineas mused.

"Wasn't it fun when we broke out of jail?" Gus asked suddenly. Apparently these ghosts forgot to take their Ritalin before they died.

"Oh yes, that was a good day!" Phineas said happily, "And we never could get that ball and chain off your foot!"

"Nope!" Ezra agreed heartily. The three ghosts laughed, as if they were reminiscing about the night of prom during a high school reunion.

Crystal tried to process all of the information she heard.

"Wait a minute…how did you guys die?" She realized that she hadn't asked anyone this question yet.

They turned to her with sad looks on her face.

"It was that Madame Leota!" Ezra said dramatically, putting his palm against his forehead like a damsel in distress, "We were all here for a party one night, and Leota, trying to get back at George, cast a spell over the house that killed us all. Some of us were poisoned. Others were forced to dance to death." Crystal thought back to the ballroom, and the ghostly dancers there. Maybe even in death they were still cursed.

"Master Gracey wasn't affected by the spell," Phineas added, "Leota wanted to do him in personally. She hung him, but before he died he cursed her right back. Of course, I'm sure you've heard that part." Crystal nodded.

"We could've avoided the curse too, if it wasn't for Gus!" Ezra said, glaring at him. Gus blushed and looked away sheepishly.

"Gus is a relative of the Master," Phineas explained, "He said that we could hide out here while the law was after us. George took us in, and we did various jobs around the mansion. Every once in a while we'd try to hitch a ride outta here, but we didn't have any luck. We're still trying, though," he said with a grin, and Crystal imagined one of these ghouls appearing in the backseat of someone's car. She smirked at the thought, and made a mental note to check her car for ghosts when she left.

"Well, hopefully I can free you guys and everyone else here," She said, "But I really need that book."

"Oh, that spell book? It's right here." Phineas said, reaching into his carpet bag. He stuck his hand in, and started to feel around for it. Crystal heard the rustling of various objects inside.

Then, to her amazement, Phineas stuck his arm farther in – he now had his whole arm up to his elbow in the small bag, searching for the spell book.

"Hmm…where is it?" He muttered, and by feeling around farther and farther, he managed to get inside the bag completely. Crystal looked into the bag, but she couldn't see a thing – only hear the faint echo of Phineas whistling and searching.

"How…?" She started to ask, but realized that questions like this were futile in this mansion.

A few moments later, Phineas' arm suddenly stuck out of the bag, the book in hand. "Here it is!" He exclaimed, and Crystal took it from him.

"Er…thanks," She said.

"No problem!" Came Phineas' echo-y response. Ezra picked up the bag and turned it upside down, causing Phineas to come tumbling out, but nothing else.

"I'd better get this to George," Crystal said, "Thanks for your help!"

"No problem," The three hitchhikers said in unison, bowing like the gentlemen they…weren't.

"If you know anyone that gives rides to ghosts to California, have them give us a ring!" Gus added as Crystal exited the crypt. She smiled, and made her way back to the mansion.

About ten minutes later, Crystal re-entered the Foyer, book in hand. As she stepped inside, the door blew shut behind her.

"WELCOME, FOOLISH MORTALS," A voice boomed suddenly, from somewhere in the room, "TO THE HAUNTED MA-…oh, it's just you." George suddenly materialized in front of Crystal.

"Sorry," He said sheepishly, "I thought you were one of those nosy kids that dare each other to come in or something."

"'Oh, it's just you?'" Crystal repeated, smiling, "Is that any way to greet the girl that just found…" She paused for dramatic effect and revealed the spell book, "Your ticket out of here!"

"You found it!" George said happily. Crystal handed him the book, and he began to search for a counter curse. But the smile faded from his face as he flipped through.

"What? Is it the wrong book?" Crystal asked wearily. She did NOT want to have to search the whole mansion again.

"No, it's the right book…but read this," He said, handing it to her. There on the page, in faded cursive letters, was this:

_The spell will be broken,_

_And the spirits will be free_

_But for this to happen_

_One must pay a token fee._

_One ghost must remain here_

_And stay forever more_

_Be doomed to haunt the mansion_

_If to fulfill the lore_

_One more thing, I hate to add_

_That prob'ly will cause some shock:_

_The gypsy must help cast the spell_

_Not just the unknown rock._

_To break the curse they must agree_

_To say the spell together._

_Once they do I guarantee:_

_Things will become better._

On the page across from this was a spell to break the curse.

"You mean…we have to get Madame Leota to say the spell? She'll never do it!" Crystal said.

"And one ghost will have to remain here," George added quietly, "It's bad enough that we're all trapped here, but at least we have company. I can't imagine what it would be like to haunt alone."

The mortal and spirit stared at the floor, unsure of what to do next.


	8. The Dramatic Conclusion!

Chapter 8: The Dramatic Conclusion!

"So what's our plan of attack?" George asked Crystal. They were heading towards Madame Leota's room.

"First we need to convince Madame Leota to say the spell. Then we can worry about that whole 'one ghost must stay' thing."

They soon reached the séance room, and when they opened the door, Madame Leota was practicing her psychic powers.

"_Horn toads and lizards, piddle and strum, please answer the role by beating a drum!_

_Goblins and ghoulies, old friends and new! Blow on a horn so we'll know that it's you!_

_Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine! _

_Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond, let there be music from regions beyond!  
Wizards and witches wherever you dwell! Give us a hint by ringing a bell!"_

"Trying to form a band?" George asked jokingly as they approached Madame Leota. She stopped chanting and scowled at him.

"Hey, uh…guess what!" Crystal said suddenly, trying to avoid another fight between Leota and George, "I found your old spell book! And we can free everyone if you help me say the spell!" Leota turned to Crystal with a surprised look on her face.

"You actually found it in this sty? Well done," She said admirably, "But I refuse to help you. Not until George faces up to what he's done."

"Huh?" Crystal asked, confused. She glanced at George, and he had a nervous look on his face.

"Leota, I'm telling you, she's not my-"

"Oh George, stop denying it! You know that she's our daughter. I can even show Crystal the proof," She said with an evil grin, "What do you say we watch a little movie?"

"No!" George cried, running in front of Madame Leota, "I don't think she needs to see that."

Crystal raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, what's going on here?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Go on George, tell her," Leota purred. George, however, was blushing furiously and couldn't seem to get a single word out of his mouth.

"It went like this," Leota said, turning to Crystal, "After George's first wife had died, and before he met Emily, he and I had…shall we say…bonded…during a séance. However, shortly after that he met that…that _wench for a bride,_" (she said this part rather harshly), "and when I told him that I was expecting, he denied that it was his child. It went on for ten years before I finally had enough, and killed him."

"You mean…you have a daughter?" Crystal asked George, her eyes wide.

"Yep," Leota answered, "Would you like to meet her?"

All of a sudden, across the room, a small girl appeared. She looked just like her mother except younger, and was wearing a white nightgown with lace on it. She smiled a little smile at Crystal.

"Hi," She said, "I'm Little Leota. Wanna play with me?" She suddenly vanished, and reappeared right in front of Crystal. Little Leota giggled. "I'm great at hide and seek,"

"Crystal can't play right now," Leota said kindly to her daughter, "She's talking with the grown-ups right now."

"Oh, okay," Little Leota said, her smile disappearing. She seemed to think about something for a moment, and then her smile reappeared.

"I know! I'll go play with my friends in the crypt! They've always got lots of games to play!" She said happily, and disappeared.

"Well George?" Leota asked in her usual tone. George, defeated, hung his head.

"Okay. I admit that I had…a…child……with Leota."

"It's about time," Leota said, "Okay, I'll read the spell."

"Great!" Crystal said, "Now…all we have to figure out is who's going to stay behind."

"I vote George," Leota said immediately. Crystal rolled her eyes at the fortune teller, but was surprised to hear George say "I agree."

"What?" Crystal asked. She didn't believe her ears.

"I am the Master of this house – it is my responsibility to oversee and head it. And I can't very well do that if I'm not here, can I?" He said with a chuckle.

"But…it's not fair! Why does a ghost have to remain behind?" Crystal asked Leota.

"That's how the spell works," She said simply, "Once the house becomes haunted, it just can't become un-haunted again. There's gotta be at least one spirit."

"That's stupid."

"There's nothing I can do about it," Leota said dismissively, "But if it makes you feel better, I'll be stuck here too. Because of my current…predicament, I'm technically not a ghost. I'm stuck in between life and death. So George and I will still be here."

"Are you sure you want to do this George?" Crystal asked him. She didn't want him to regret what she had to do.

"Yes. It's my duty," he said firmly, but Crystal could tell that there was a hint of fear in his voice.

"Okay. Let's say this spell." Crystal opened the book to the spell and set it on the table so she and Leota could both see it. They slowly read the spell in unison.

"_May the curse now be lifted_

_On this evil home._

_Send souls to beyond_

_So they'll no longer roam._

_We offer this ghost_

_To be here always;_

_To release the others,_

_This spirit stays."_

A blue circle suddenly appeared on the floor next to the séance table. George slowly stepped into it, and was encased in blue light. He was lifted into the air, and so was Madame Leota. Beams of light shot out from them, and began to ensnare the house.

And transform it.

The light shot through the foyer and into the secret portrait gallery – the paintings each transformed, un-stretching and remaining as what they first looked like. The paintings in the portrait gallery morphed back to what they once were, never to shift into cursed scenes again. The 'endless' hallway returned to how it once was, with only a few guest rooms and not freakishly long. Everywhere through the house, dust disappeared, spider webs vanished, and most importantly of all, ghosts moved on.

The streams of light made sure to not leave anyone out as they surrounded the surprised ghosts – they were transformed into ghostly spirit balls, and slowly dispersed away from the mansion to the great beyond.

The man nailed in the coffin yelped in shock as the lid was ripped off and he was finally removed from his 'final resting place.' Prudence the maid was whooping and hollering with delight, and her final words to the mansion were "GOOD RIDDANCE YOU PIECE OF-" before disappearing to the afterlife.

Spirits finally escaped from the doorways they were trapped behind in the corridor of doors. The wallpaper changed too – it was no longer a glaring demonic print, but a normal, elegant pattern.

The curse on Emily Cavanaugh was broken as her corpse, still locked in the trunk, vanished, and the ghost's wedding dress vanished, returning to what she would wear every day.

"Thank you, George!" She called as she was lifted into the sky, "No offense, but I think we're going to have to call this wedding off!" The junk in the attic, as well as the ghouls hiding in it, vanished, allowing it to become nice and organized.

The dancers in the ballroom were finally able to bow to their partners and depart, and the organist finished his song with a loud, beautiful chord instead of a horribly out of tune one. The party guests continued to celebrate as they were all freed from the mansion.

Meanwhile, in the graveyard, all of the ghosts were departing ways and saying goodbye to one another. Dustin bravely said farewell to Rolly as the invisible stallion headed for horsey heaven and Dustin to his own afterlife. The singing busts sang one last tune.

"_So we'll sing you a little song_

_and it wont' be very long_

_About so long – so looooooooong!"_

As they finished, they disappeared from their places, leaving only marble pillars as a sign that they were there.

And in the crypt, Ezra, Gus, Phineas and Little Leota were saying goodbye.

"So long, Gus!" Ezra said, "Maybe I'll see you again sometime! Do they allow gambling in heaven?"

"And cigars?" Phineas added hopefully. Little Leota chuckled as she and her friends were carried off to the great beyond.

A great change came over the whole house – the excessive foliage dispersed, and the gardens and cemetery looked like they'd been well trimmed and taken care of for years. The whole house seemed to brighten – like there was a great weight suddenly lifted off its shoulders. It was no longer a dilapidated old mansion; rather, the pristine vision of loveliness it had been when first built.

The curse was lifted.

Meanwhile, in the séance room, George and Leota slowly floated back to the ground.

"It is done. I can sense it," Leota said, closing her eyes, "The spirits are finally freed." George exhaled and smiled – it seemed to be the first genuine smile Crystal had seen on him since she got here.

"You did the right thing," She said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I know. And I can't thank you enough for freeing everyone," He said happily, "I want you to have this."

He snapped his fingers and a check appeared in his hand.

"Your payment for 'redesigning' the mansion." George handed her the check and she looked at the amount. Her jaw dropped.

"One million dollars?" She said exasperatedly, "I cant accept this!"

"Please, take it. It's not nearly enough to pay for what you've done for us, but I believe it is still a considerable amount of money in today's world. And don't worry – I still have enough to keep the house well maintained."

"T-thank you," She stammered gratefully, putting the check carefully in her pocket.

"Thank you again – and please, feel free to visit us any time." George said.

"Hurry back...hurry back...be sure to bring your death certificate...we're just DYING to have you. Plus, I don't know how I'll stand it if he's the only other one here," Leota added with a sly grin.

Crystal said farewell to the two as she left the mansion. She was shocked to see it now – the sun had come up, and it was a beautiful vision with a clean garden and nice décor.

"Wow…" She said breathlessly, and slightly jealously. Maybe someday she could convince George to let her move in.

As Crystal drove away from the house, with enough money to get her business started again and enough memories to last a lifetime, she knew that 'The Haunted Mansion' had taught her a valuable lesson. She had come here simply looking for money, but was leaving with so much more.

And that was reward enough.

The End


End file.
